If you follow me, then I am sure you are getting tired of my constant #TravellerRPG praise. Sorry, but I just like the game that much!

Sure, there are other rules-lite or “microRPG” or folding-style games that do a lot in a little area, but to me the simple three Little Black Books of the original (now Classic) Traveller are what I think of in a ‘lite’ RPG. Many people apparently don’t realize (or have forgotten) that Traveller was not a setting but a simple core mechanic within a (short) flexible ruleset within which basic setting materials were provided. Like many other RPGs of that era, it was expected (demanded?) that game masters would develop their own universe to adventure in. [For the best discussion of this, see Tales to Astound, TRAVELLER: Out of the Box to the Third Imperium].

Atomic Robo RPG is by far my favorite RPG to read. The seamless mix of rules and setting not only teach the game, but help start the immersion into the Atomic Robo universe. I actually read the RPG before the comics.

I tend to collect rules to study game mechanics and not necessarily to play. So I am going to cheat here and change the question a bit to “Which RPG have I owned the longest but not played in forever?”

My answer would be Behind Enemy Lines (FASA 1st Edition, 1982). I last really played this game with my high school friends (i.e. pre-1985). I pulled it out recently as part of my RPG Retrospective but I haven’t “played” it since the mid-80’s. I really should pull it out because it appears that it could be a good firefight generator for several skirmish-scale wargames.